


You Came with the Sunrise

by Almavivadreams



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I LAMP THEM SO MUCH, Near Death Experiences, Post Season 2, Rescue Missions, angst but fluffy ending, deanoru is precious and soft, karolina snaps, my goth baby is badass and so soft, no xavin sry babe, so fluffy omg, the ending is fluffy and cheeky and so darn happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 19:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17351006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Almavivadreams/pseuds/Almavivadreams
Summary: “Karolina?” Nico gently lifted Karolina’s head. She could feel Karolina trembling, eyebrows twitching in a small grimace.“I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Everything’s going to be alright.” Nico squeezed, pouring every ounce of comfort into their embrace. “Stay with me?”Karolina pressed closer to Nico, digging into her warmth. Face buried against Nico’s chest, she gave a weak nod.Nico and the runaways rescue Karolina, but when Karolina blows out her powers to save them, how will Nico handle almost losing Karolina, again?





	You Came with the Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my lil love letter to Deanoru, who absolutely stole my heart this past month. I'm drawing inspiration from the comics when it comes to Karolina's powers, though I've only read Rainbow's run so far. Just a quick apology for not including everyone, especially Gert and Old Lace. I didn't want this story to get out of hand, and I couldn't quite find a way to get her into the plot without creating something unnecessarily complicated. No Xavin and fourth host again for the same reasons, but feel free to insert them into the story in your own head canon!
> 
> Finally, thank you for your patience with my Supercorp and Clexa stories - they are very much on my mind! I will get them up as soon as life gives me a bit more time to finish them up! You guys are the best <3 Special dedication to @arniearns16 for the extra encouragement! 
> 
> Comments and kudos feed my soul! [Come scream about Deanoru](https://almavivadreams.tumblr.com) with me

 

 

“Distract!”

 

Nico winced at the sharp prick on her palm, feeling the Staff of One hum to life as it fed off of her blood. The fire alarm blared to life, its mechanical voice calmly instructing all personnel to evacuate the grounds immediately. Moments later, stomping footsteps and worried murmurs echoed behind the closed door they had just snuck through. Nico sighed with relief, feeling her nerves rattle less with the first of many obstacles handled. She glanced around at the motley crew with her - Alex, Molly, and a freshly rescued Chase - and gave a sharp nod. Quietly, they moved deeper into the massive church.

 

It’s been three months. Three agonizing, sleepless, nightmarish months since their parents ambushed them -- since they discovered the true nature of the Gibborim.

 

Since Karolina was taken.

 

They had found Chase and his mother first, though that certainly wasn’t on purpose. Nico had spent every waking moment researching, scouring, and planning Karolina’s rescue mission. She harassed Alex endlessly, and while Alex was more than willing to contribute, he wasn’t nearly half as insane with worry as Nico. When the remaining team broke into the Steins’ hidden lab and discovered only Chase and Janet Stein, Nico nearly beat the living daylights out of Chase demanding to know where Karolina was. Or _if_ she still was.

 

It wasn’t good news.

 

According to Chase, when the rest of Jonah’s family found out about Karolina, they didn’t hesitate to select her as their first subject. Not only did Karolina’s unique physiology provide them with enough restorative energy of a dozen humans, but they were rather eager to get rid of what they viewed as a stain on their family legacy. Jonah’s initial resistance was pitiful at best, and soon after he too decided that Karolina was more useful to him as a commodity, not as a daughter. Chase and his mother had been used as hostages to force Karolina to cooperate, which she did without hesitation when she realized Chase was in danger. Nico listened, her stomach sinking with every word, as he told them how the Gibborim had fed off of Karolina three times already, and they were getting ready to use her again.

 

Now, they were crawling through the bowels of the Church of Gibborim, following the map Leslie gave them that outlined the secret chambers where they suspected Jonah was keeping Karolina. When Molly tore off the door of the chamber, they all winced from the blinding light pouring out of the room. Nico stumbled forward, her eyes barely open as they slowly adjusted to their new surroundings. The glaringly white room contained a myriad of foreign tech and was thankfully devoid of the Gibborim, but at the center of it held the one thing Nico hadn’t stopped thinking about ever since whispered promises were made.

 

“Karolina…” Nico breathed, eyes staring in disbelief. She could hardly believe it, but after three months of desperate longing, Nico was finally where she needed to be.

 

She stood motionless beyond the clear glass, though she hardly looked strong enough to sit let alone stand were it not for the stasis chamber. Nico’s stomach dropped when she noticed the dried blood coming from both her ears. The normal luminous quality of Karolina was severely diminished - her skin fragile and pallid, her lips and cheeks no longer flushed and rosy, her once-golden hair now a dull pale yellow. She was alive, much to Nico's relief - but barely. The deep-set ache throbbing in Nico’s chest flared with a wave of dark anger. She vowed then and there to make Jonah and his family pay for what they’ve done to Karolina. She felt the Staff of One hum in agreement.

 

When Alex managed to unlock the stasis chamber, Nico was right beside Karolina as the glass descended. There was a brief moment where time seemed to stop, where everyone watched frozen in nervous anticipation as Karolina took her first deep breath. And then, as if with a snap of a finger, time caught up. Karolina dropped so quickly to the floor that Nico barely had the chance to catch her. She wrapped her arms protectively around Karolina, dropping to the floor and cradling her so that her head lolled gently onto her shoulder. Nico shivered at how much cooler Karolina felt against her, so unlike the personal heater the blonde usually was. But she still smelled the same, like sunlight and summer rain, and for a moment Nico buried her nose in Karolina’s hair and breathed, enjoying finally having Karolina in her arms again and letting the heavy weight on her shoulders lift just a bit.

 

“Karolina?” Nico gently lifted Karolina’s head, intense eyes examining every inch of her girlfriend. She could feel Karolina trembling, eyebrows twitching in a small grimace. Her breaths come in short shallow gasps. A light groan escaped pale lips as she stirred from unconsciousness. Nico ran her hand up and down long shivering arms, eyes affectionate and concerned as she softly called out to Karolina again.

 

Blue eyes fluttered open just enough for Nico to see the instant recognition flash in them. Karolina managed a small yet beautiful smile before sinking into Nico’s arms, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

 

“Nico…” she breathed.

 

Nico bit back a choked sob, not realizing how much she needed to hear Karolina say her name again. With a breathless laugh, Nico beamed a tearful smile as she brushed an errant strand of blonde hair from her girlfriend’s face. “I’m here.”

 

With a quick glance to her friends, she answered their worried looks with a small nod. Visibly relieved, Alex set about disarming the security system while Chase and Molly began punching their way through the escape route. Nico returned her attention back to Karolina, who was slowly relearning how to move her body.

 

“I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Everything’s going to be alright.” Nico squeezed her arms around Karolina’s thin frame, pouring every ounce of comfort into their embrace. “Stay with me?” she whispered.

 

Karolina pressed closer to Nico, digging into her warmth. Face buried against Nico’s chest, she gave a weak nod.

 

The last rays of the sunset painted the horizon when they carried Karolina out of the building. For a moment they paused, letting Alex calculate their next best action. Nico glanced over at Karolina, who was managing to stand a bit better on her own than moments ago despite still leaning heavily on Nico and Molly.

 

“Karolina? You okay?”

 

Karolina nodded. “Y-yeah, I’m alright. I’m feeling a lot better now,” she rasped. There was more color in her cheeks, her blue eyes shining a little brighter as she met Nico’s gaze and smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be alright, we should hurry.”

 

“You sure?” Nico murmured, concern etched in her voice.

 

Karolina nodded again, wrapping her arm tighter around Nico’s shoulder as if to prove she had recovered enough strength to carry on. With one last worried glance, Nico answered with a slow nod of her own before gripping her staff.

 

“Then get ready to run.”

 

___

 

 

It was dark when the runaways were caught. In the deserted grass hills just outside the Hostel, Jonah and his family ambushed them, and all hell broke loose. To the unsuspecting eye, it might have looked like a spectacular light show, not the full-blown alien battle they were currently embroiled in. But as bedazzling as the Gibborims’ lights were, the blows they left were heavy and devastating.

 

Every part of Nico’s body ached. She was positive she had at least two broken bones somewhere, though it’s hard to pinpoint where when her whole body was screaming. On her knees and panting, Nico leaned heavily on her staff like a crutch, exhaustion threatening to turn her world dark. A few meters away Chase struggled, desperately trying to fend off Stacey with a barely functioning fistagon. She had no idea where Alex or Molly was. She latched onto Karolina in the corner of her eye, who was caught up in a ferocious standoff with her father.

 

Nico stumbled to her feet, gritting her teeth as she dragged herself towards Karolina only to have a hand seize her throat and _squeeze_. Panic flooded her body, a strangled shout caught in her windpipe as hands desperately clawed at her throat. She was horrified to find her mother staring at her, a cruel smile on her lips and an alien look in her eyes.

 

“You look _sooo_ much tastier than your mother,” she purred, fingers tightening causing Nico to gasp. “Hmm and younger too. You’re definitely a better fit. No offense, but your mom is a bitch to deal with.”

 

Nico hated her mom, at least she was pretty sure she did. But nothing could prepare her for this. No matter how much she had come to terms with her parents being who they were, she never really believed they could do this - not to her. And now the alien wearing her mother’s face was strangling her to death. Nico hated how it broke her heart.

 

“I think it’s time for an upgrade,” Tina declared, voice low and dangerous. She dragged Nico closer to her, never loosening the vice-like grip. “I rather enjoyed feeding from your girlfriend.”

 

Nico’s anger fizzled prematurely as her vision started to blur. Cruel laughter rang in her ears.

 

“Maybe you’ll taste as good as her, too.”

 

The hand at her neck started to glow and heat up. Terrified and desperate, Nico cried out.

 

There was a faraway shout of her name. Suddenly, the pressure around her neck vanished, leaving Nico to land harshly on her hands and knees. Coughing, Nico looked up to find Tina gone, ripped away by Karolina wearing an expression of pure fury. Flying at a speed Nico had never witnessed before, she dragged her mother up the hillside before blasting her into the ground with an angry shout. Worry gnawed within Nico watching Karolina expend so much of her energy.

 

A fury of concussive blasts and warped explosions lit up the dark hillside as the Gibborim clamor around Karolina’s pink silhouette. Nico watched in horror as Karolina’s alien family surround her, raining down a flurry of attacks that Karolina desperately tried to fight off. A rising panic at the thought of losing Karolina sends Nico’s adrenaline into overdrive. Bleary eyes darted around searching for the staff, finally landing on it several feet away. Fingers just managed to close around the staff when Karolina cried out. Her head snapped up to find Karolina pinned down at the arms by Tina and Stacey, her back arched tortuously as Jonah violently twisted his hand in her hair and yanked her head up. Her heart seized in her chest when Karolina’s beautiful face contorted in agony and let out another pained gasp.

 

“Karolina!” Nico yelled, stretching her hand out in desperation. She scrambled forward unsteadily, watching with growing dread as Karolina grew brighter and brighter. Just like Jonah did that night. Right after she had…right before he had… _Oh God no…_

 

_Please. Please, not again._

 

Karolina screamed. Nico’s blood went cold.

 

There was barely a second to register the sudden explosion of impossibly bright light before Nico was knocked clear off her feet. All the air was forced out of her lungs as the shockwave crushed her chest. She was airborne for what seemed like forever, clearing at least ten feet before crashing back on the ground. Nico grunted as she landed painfully wrong on her left shoulder. Nico gasped, her throat making a desperate noise as she forced her lungs to expand. For a few seconds, Nico lay there unable to do anything but blink away the stars in her eyes. She needed to get up. Karolina needed her to get up. Jaws clenched, Nico ignored the pain and rolled over onto her hands and knees.

 

There was so much light streaming across the hillside it nearly looked like daytime. Shielding her eyes, Nico squinted at the epicenter of the explosion, desperately trying to make out Karolina in the chaos. Abruptly, like it was sucked into a black hole, the light snapped and receded. An uneasy silence settled over the hills. The Gibborim were gone. All that was left was a solitary glowing figure, one that Nico recognized from endless nights and restless dreams.

 

Karolina stood nearly doubled over, panting wearily as her light fizzled out. Slowly she turned around, her movements jerky and unsteady until she faced Nico. Unfocused blue eyes barely latch onto Nico before they rolled back. Nico looked on in horror as Karolina collapsed, her knees giving out like someone cut her strings.

 

_“No!”_

 

The scream was shrill and foreign in her throat. Her feet scrambled into a limp run, terrified brown eyes never leaving the prone figure on the ground. Nico didn’t even realize she was crying until she collapsed beside Karolina, eyes wide and frantic and hands hovering as if she didn’t know quite what to do with them.

 

She grasped onto Karolina’s shoulders to turn her around only to flinch back at the touch of her skin. Karolina was so _cold_. Her skin was like ice despite the warm LA breeze, so cold it nearly burned at first touch. Nico bit back a terrified sob and grabbed Karolina again, this time successfully turning her onto her back. She gasped, her heart freezing in her chest.

 

“Oh my god,” Nico stammered, hands trembling as dread flooded in her veins.

 

Karolina was deathly pale, so much paler than even when they had rescued her hours ago. Her skin was nearly grey, translucent like she had been exsanguinated. Her lips, usually so rosy, were pale and tinged with a cyanotic blue. Blue lips…like Amy’s.

 

“No, no no no no…” Nico spiraled. Fear gripped her, the kind of fear she hadn’t felt in years. Her worst nightmare, of losing Karolina like she lost Amy, of having everyone important ripped from her, was becoming her reality and bringing up her worst thoughts. _Karolina is gone. Karolina is_ dead _. It’s_ your _fault. It’s_ always _your fault._

 

With a muffled sob, Nico grabbed both sides of Karolina’s face and shook. “W-wake up.” A scream clawed within her chest as she shook harder, growing more and more terrified the longer Karolina remained still. “Wake up!”

 

Tears pricked in the corner of her eyes as she leaned over Karolina, her voice pleading. “Please! Karolina…”

 

Nico’s breaths were coming in shallow and gasping. Something twisted inside her, gripping her guts with panic. Nico tried to breathe, but there’s just not enough air.

 

Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, Chase dropped down beside Nico, his own eyes wide with fear for Karolina and for Nico’s distraught state. He quickly lunged forward, holding his ear above Karolina’s parted lips and pressing two fingers underneath her jaw. The air grew unbearably quiet, with only Nico’s stuttering breath breaking the silence. The anticipation was beyond torture. Nico closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst.

 

_She’s dead, she’s dead, she’s dead, she -_

 

“She’s alive.”

 

A hard, sharp breath pulled at Nico’s lungs. All at once, the emotions that she had tried to hold back hit her full force. Like being slammed by a tidal wave, her whole upper body bowled over as a mixture of anguished sobs, cries of joy, and weeping poured out from her. Hands clenched tightly around the front of Karolina's shirt. Tears slipped and ran through her dark makeup to land on Karolina’s skin like grey ink spots. Nico pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, taking in hitched gasps as she tried to crawl back from a nervous breakdown. She looked at Karolina, and for the first time, she noticed the slightest rise and fall of her chest, the smallest puff of air escape her lips. Delirious with too many emotions, Nico nearly blacked out at the sight.

 

She leaned over, shaking fingers brushing wild strands of hair away as hands came to rest against Karolina’s sharp jaw. The chill of her skin caused Nico’s stomach to drop. It’s a stark reminder that while Karolina was alive, she was only just.

 

“W-we need to get help.” Nico murmured, hands worrying over Karolina despite having no idea what to do. Did anyone even know what to do with alien physiology? Feeling more and more distressed, Nico was almost glad to see Alex running towards them.

 

“What happened?” Alex shouted, momentarily gaping at Karolina’s state. “What’s wrong with Karolina?”

 

“I, I-I don’t know, she won’t wake up,” Nico stammered, mind scrambling for a solution. She looked desperately at Alex, who stared down at the situation with a grim look.

 

“We need to go.”

 

“What? No, we have to help her! She - she’s barely breathing and she’s so cold and, and and…” she stuttered like a broken recording, her panicked voice rising in volume.

 

“We need to get back to the Hostel,” Alex cut in, though his eyes softened with sympathy. “We can keep her safe there, Nico.”

 

She looked back down at the girl she’d gather up in her arms, her mind still grappling with everything that had happened. She didn’t want to give up on Karolina, she wanted to fix her and fix her _now_. But Alex was right - they had no fucking clue what to do. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she let out a defeated sigh. _I’m sorry._

 

She and Chase lifted Karolina onto their shoulders, none of them remarking on how light she felt. Molly took over Chase’s side and gave Nico a sad nod of encouragement. Nico clenched her jaw, forcing back tears before she turned to Alex.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

 

——

 

 

It was still dark outside. They had arrived back at the Hostel near midnight. Several hours had passed already and dawn was just an hour away, but for now, it was still pitch black outside their rusty skylight. Nico sat beside the bed, eyes glued on Karolina resting in their musty queen bed. She had dreamt so hard to have this again, to have Karolina in this bed again, _their_ bed. But not like this. Not when Karolina had yet to move a muscle, her breath never changing, her pulse never quickening beyond its slow sluggish pulse. Not when Karolina still looked on the verge of death, her skin as cold as ever despite the warmth spell Nico cast hours ago.

 

Nico was exhausted. Not just from holding the warmth spell, or from the rescue mission, but from the whole damn three months. Every cell in her body felt desiccated, drained of all its worth and energy. Every thought was incomplete as if her mind gave up midway through the process.

 

For the tenth time tonight, Nico pressed the palm of her hands into her eyes trying to stay awake, though her eyelids were getting impossibly heavy with each passing minute. She refused to fall asleep, despite every verified medical advice regarding teenagers and proper sleep hygiene telling her otherwise. She wasn’t going to miss any second of Karolina now that she was back. She wasn’t going to have Karolina wake up alone after so many months of being isolated in that godforsaken tube. Nico already hated herself for not being there when Karolina was taken. She sure as hell was going to be right beside her when she woke up.

 

There was a terrible gnawing anxiety eating at her. There was too much to worry about and not enough answers to keep her stomach from rolling every few minutes. Nico wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but she did realize with startling clarity that if anyone had succeeded in taking Karolina from her, nothing would stand in the way of her warpath. The wrath she knew she possessed frightened her. And knowing what she was fully capable of with the staff, she thought the world should be frightened too.

 

For a long while, Nico just stared at the sleeping girl, admiring the beauty and gentleness that exuded from her even in this sorry state. She could hardly believe a girl like Karolina existed, let alone that Nico would ever be the center of her affection. Nico literally had to have Karolina kiss the living daylights out of her to realize what she was missing. And then to have Karolina in that way - where she could reach out anytime to sling an arm over a tantalizingly bare midriff, where she could sift her fingers through the softest hair, where she could press close and just bathe in the comfort and warmth of Karolina’s natural aura - she’d never fallen so fast.

 

Nico reached for a pale hand, dragging it towards her and encircling her fingers around a delicate wrist. She felt for the pulse, waiting a full minute hoping she would feel the pulse rise and thump healthily against her forefingers. It remained painfully sluggish. Nico closed her eyes and sighed, grabbing Karolina’s hand between both her hands before she leaned forward, letting her cheek graze Karolina’s knuckles. She pressed a tender kiss there, letting her lips rest on skin as smooth as cold alabaster.

 

For the next hour, Nico sat in that chair, never once letting go of Karolina. She bit her lips, worrying them until they were raw and tender. The silence was stifling instead of comforting. The seconds crawled by just waiting for something, _anything_ \- it was absolute torture. She was in the middle of a yawn when the first rays of the sunrise filtered through the dirty skylight. The beams landed on the bed, shining a thin strip of sunlight across the taller girl’s body.

 

It was such a small movement, Nico might have missed had she yawned only moments later. She might have even thought she was hallucinating given how exhausted she was. But there it was again! The tiniest flutter of pale eyelids, lasting no more than a second, but to Nico, it was as if the ground shifted beneath her feet. 

 

In an instant, Nico was up on her feet, the chair screeching harshly behind her as she hastily made for the bedside, bending and kneeling one knee on the mattress to lean over Karolina’s tall frame. She stared again, eyes wide and breath caught in her chest, feeling her heart nearly explode when Karolina’s eyebrows twitched. Ghostly lips parted slightly for a tiny sigh to escape, one that Nico thought sounded almost relieved. Nico exhaled a breathy laugh full of disbelief, turning just in time to catch slender fingers jerk and stretch out towards the patchy sunlit areas of the bed. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

 

 _Sunlight._ Of course! How could she have missed that? Silently berating herself, Nico tore away from Karolina and grabbed her staff. She aimed it at the skylight, watching the staff glow and hum with energy.

 

“Clean!"

 

Nothing happened. Damn, must have already used that one. Nico thought furiously for a new phrase as she drummed her fingers against the staff.

 

"Umm...carwash!"

 

As if watered down by a high-pressure hose, the dust, grime, and rotten leaves peeled back from the sunroof, and suddenly the room flooded with warm glorious sunlight. Illuminated in the sunrise of a new day, Karolina shined. Even in her human form, she had always seemed to glow brighter than anyone around her. Now with sunlight pouring into their once dim treehouse, Nico felt like she was seeing the true Karolina again. Nico watched with bated breath, feeling her pulse jump when Karolina abruptly took a shuddering breath of life, her chest rising and falling gently. She wasn’t yet awake, and yet this was the most alive Nico had seen her ever since they had found her.

 

Dropping her staff, Nico went to Karolina, this time getting on the bed to kneel beside Karolina being extra careful not to block the light. A flurry of emotions bubbled beneath the surface, threatening to spill over as Nico waited. She swallowed nervously, trying to damp down her restlessness. Hands reached out to gently rest on Karolina’s cheeks, which to Nico’s enormous relief already felt warm beneath her touch.

 

“Karolina?” Fingers brushed against smooth skin gently coaxing her awake. “Karolina, can you hear me?”

 

A few agonizingly long seconds passed before eyelids fluttered once more, this time struggling until they parted at the seams. Karolina blinked several times, slowly adjusting to the world again. Blue eyes stared vacantly, unfocused, falling on Nico without any fanfare or emotion. There was a moment, one paralyzing infinity of a second, where Nico feared the worst. That Karolina was too badly injured, too damaged, too lost that Nico would forever be a stranger to her. Dread seized her by the throat, terror threatening her like a knife at the jugular. But then, blue eyes came alive, shimmering like the ocean on an unclouded day.

 

“Nico…” Karolina breathed, lips pulling weakly into the purest smile.

 

Just like that, Nico could breathe again. She couldn’t help but let out a cry of relief, the vice grip on her heart finally relinquishing as she leaned down and pressed sloppy kisses against slowly warming lips, relishing how those lips returned the most delicate pressure as she felt the light graze of Karolina's fingers across her forearm.

 

“Thank god. Oh _thank god_.” Nico couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t stop laughing. With all the ups and downs of her emotions in the past 24 hours, she was nearly hysterical. She didn’t try to stop the tears from falling, instead choosing to keep her hands firmly attached to any part of Karolina - her cheek, her jaw, her neck, her arm. Anything and everything - she just needed Karolina.

 

“Don’t cry…” Karolina lifted her hand to gently wipe at the dark tear streaks staining Nico’s cheeks. “Don’t cry, I’m okay.” The achingly tender look in those sky blue eyes only made Nico sob harder.

 

“I was so — I thought you were g-going to —,” Nico couldn’t finish, unable to speak the words in fear that she’d speak them into existence. Instead, she chose to just look at Karolina, to take in all the wondrous vibrant details of her girlfriend now that she could again. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

 

Nico brushed her thumb lovingly across prominent cheekbones. Karolina sighed at the touch, her eyes closing to enjoy the feeling before reopening them, finding Nico gazing down at her full of a warmth and softness that betrayed her exterior. Karolina reached up to place her hand against Nico’s cheek, smiling when Nico leaned into it.

 

“I missed you,” she whispered.

 

Nico choked out a laugh, smiling through her tears. “I missed you too. So much.” She grabbed the hand on her face, tugging it away just enough to press a kiss to her palm. Fingers naturally found their places and weaved together.

 

“How are you feeling?” Nico’s voice was low with concern. “You were really sick. We were all so worried.”

 

“I’m feeling better. Much better. I think sunlight helps. When I’m under it, I feel like I’m being…charged up? Kinda like a battery.” Karolina chuckled lightly, her raspy voice lighting up Nico from the inside. “I’m like an alien solar panel. Very eco-friendly. Fits very well to my lesbian stereotype.”

 

Nico grinned. “Yeah, I figured as much. I used a spell to clean up the skylight. You started getting better when that sunlight hit you.”

 

Looking at Karolina now, Nico marveled at how speedily Karolina was bouncing back. Hardly ten minutes ago she was as cold as ice, unmoving, startling comatose. The lasting imagery sent a ripple of skepticism through Nico. As much as Karolina _looked_ better, she would also be one to minimize her own problems to assuage others.

 

“You sure you’re feeling better?” Nico asked worriedly, eying Karolina warily.

 

Karolina hummed in affirmation. “Positive. I’m even better enough to do this.”

 

Boldly, Karolina reached up to pull Nico into a kiss, this time very much capable of deepening the kiss into something wonderful and toe-curling. Nico melted into it, loving the slow languid pace as both girls sustained the ebb and flow with their lips. Gentle hands and even gentler touches reached where they could, slowly bringing together the two girls so that they pressed snuggly against each other.

 

When they finally broke apart, Nico knew she was wearing that dopey doe-eyed smile again, the one that even the darkest smudge of her makeup couldn’t hide. It delighted Karolina.

 

“You have a nasty habit of scaring the shit out of me, you know that?” Nico pouted, though her smile remained in place.

 

“Sorry,” Karolina replied with a sheepish look.

 

“Will you please stop sacrificing yourself?” Nico sighed exasperatingly, her fingers tucking a loose strand of hair behind Karolina’s ear. Her eyebrows narrowed dangerously as she gave Karolina a pointed look. “Because if you die, I swear to god I’ll kill you myself.”

 

Karolina quirked her eyebrows in amusement, feeling more tickled than concerned over her tiny girlfriend’s adorable threat, before chuckling quietly. “Okay,” she replied cheekily, keeping her easy smile.

 

Nico, who at this point was essentially lying on top of Karolina, rolled off to the side, settling herself into Karolina and perching her head on her hand. When Karolina turned to look at Nico, a sudden swell of affection blossomed within her, and she was more than content to just lay here with her for the rest of the day.

 

“But seriously though, are you ok? Jonah, he had you for three months. Did he do anything to you? Because if he did I swear I’ll — ” Nico pursed her lips with frustration. Honestly, she didn’t know what she’d do, only that she would let the staff take over completely. What actually would happen was something even Nico didn’t want to consider. Regardless, Jonah deserved it.

 

Karolina turned towards Nico, running a hand soothingly up her arm until it stopped to knead gently behind Nico’s neck. Karolina was always so selfless, so eager to reassure others and make them feel comfortable. Nico loved her for it. But she could see something stirring behind those cerulean eyes. Karolina sighed, still stroking Nico reassuringly despite the growing pain in her eyes. Nico waited patiently as Karolina wrestled with her thoughts.

 

“When I was in that tube, I wasn’t asleep,” Karolina began, her voice soft. “I existed in a whole other world, one Jonah had complete control over. When he realized that I was never going to side with him, he punished me.”

 

Karolina paused, a haunted look washing over her expression. A visceral ache throbbed in Nico’s chest.

 

“I was put in complete darkness. I couldn’t even call it a world anymore - a world requires something actually existing. Where I was…there was _nothing_. No shadows, no sound, not even the brush of something solid on my skin. There was no sense of existence there. Just an overwhelming feeling of _absence_." Karolina let out a shuddering sigh. Nico felt a shiver ripple through Karolina, felt the slight tremble in fingers still brushing the nape of her neck.

 

"I’d never felt more terrified or alone in my life," Karolina whispered, a vulnerable look in her eyes. "I thought I would go insane.”

 

Yet even through the obvious pain, Karolina and her penchant for optimism shone. A special kind of awe and wonder glittered in blue eyes.

 

“But _you_. Nico, you saved me. I thought of you, how you’d always been there in the darkness, in _my_ darkness, guiding me, protecting me. You gave me comfort in a place where nothing else existed. The thought of getting back to you, of finding you after so long spent in the dark, it kept me going. I may be light, Nico, but you taught me how to shine.”

 

Everything twisted painfully inside Nico. As Karolina looked at her like she put the stars in the sky, Nico felt her stomach sink with guilt. She had done nothing to earn this adoration, especially from Karolina. She hadn’t done anything to save her from getting taken. She hadn’t been able to stop the Gibborim from nearly killing her, and now Karolina was staring at her with affection that she most certainly did not deserve.

 

Nico shook her head, looking despondently at her girlfriend. “I’m so sorry Karolina. I should have been there to protect you. I should have --”

 

“Stop,” Karolina abruptly cut her off, placing her finger atop dark lips. “Don’t you dare apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. Please believe me when I say you’ve done more than enough for me.”

 

It’s the earnestness that did it for Nico. It was never easy to relinquish her tendency for self-hatred every since Amy died. That would probably take years and a very good therapist to fix that can of worms. But knowing Karolina - knowing how forgiving her nature was, how she always spoke the truth when it came to her emotions - Nico trusted Karolina, trusted that she was genuine and did not blame her for her suffering, even if Nico felt she should.

 

The flood of love that swept over Nico was so overwhelming it stole her breath. She stared at Karolina, still starstruck by just how unearthly pretty she was, inundated with such a lovesick feeling that she felt punch-drunk. Most of all, Nico gazed at the lovely blue of her eyes, the blue that existed nowhere else on this world, an alien blue that blazed with a cosmic brilliance and softened with the warmest glow. It's silly, but the feel of Karolina pressed against her -- God, it was perfect.

 

“You’re perfect,” Nico repeated out loud, murmuring softly as she drew circles across the plane of Karolina’s shoulder. Karolina preened at the compliment, scooching even closer so that she was level with Nico, who had decided to drop her hand and lay her head against the pillow.

 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Karolina asked after a while, hearing Nico hum curiously. A teasing smirk spread across pink lips.

 

“Do you lamp me?”

 

Nico barked out a laugh, throwing her head back before throwing Karolina an incredulous look.

 

“Are you serious right now?”

 

“As a heart attack. It’s actually a really simple question,” Karolina quipped, blue eyes crinkling with a goofy grin. “Do you lamp me, Nico? Because I lamp you. I lamp you so much, I even lump you!”

 

Nico scoffed, a huge grin plastered across her face despite being utterly stupefied.

 

“What are you _talking_ about?”

 

“Don’t you know? Lumping someone is basically like ten times stronger than lamping someone. It’s a very big step in a relationship.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re saying.”

 

Karolina laughed, her mischievous smile instead turning into something unbearably sweet and genuine. “What I’m saying, is that I love you,” she murmured softly, the truth of her words ringing in her raspy voice full of adoration.

 

Nico’s heart swelled with euphoria, the kind where nothing was held back, the kind where love and joy felt a boundless potential. Nothing in the world could beat this feeling. She trembled in its wake.

 

“I love you, too,” Nico said softly, falling even deeper when Karolina flushed a bright pink. And then, all that the two girls could do was stare goofily at each other, giddy giggles bubbling between them as they relished the moment.

 

“You know, technically I said it first,” Nico muttered offhandedly, hands not rushing to untangle themselves from Karolina’s.

 

“What? No, you didn’t. I literally just said ‘I love you’ before you did.”

 

“But I basically said it three months ago! Blame my mom for scrambling my brain, but you totally knew what I was saying.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Karolina replied airily, batting her eyelids flippantly, “I thought you were quoting Anchorman.”

 

Nico found herself stuck between wanting to continue arguing her obviously correct statement and just gawking at Karolina, who somehow has become even more attractive now that Nico knew her girlfriend could quote Anchorman. So instead, Nico surged forward and kissed her, feeling the other girl laugh and smile against her lips before returning the kiss eagerly and pushing the bed covers out of the way. With the sun pouring in from above, the girls had all day to enjoy it.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> What'd you think? Am I off the deep end with these two? Probs.
> 
> Comments and kudos feed my soul! [Come scream about Deanoru](https://almavivadreams.tumblr.com) with me


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